Some kind of antiseptic for EDC fak?

[lister]

So I bought alcohol and iodine prep pads and put them in to my wallet. A year later they are dry... 

So is there some kind of a substance that has a long shelf life (wallet life) that is a good antiseptic and can be stored in some convenient way to edc?

I found that potassium permanganate might be useful for this application. But from what I read  it is not the best for use as general antiseptic for external use (even less so if the intended application is internal  ).

There are a lot of products that contain iodine, but from what I've read all of them seem to be susceptible to heat and light, so not the best option for EDC. The only exception is elemental iodine in crystal form, but the thing is almost useless for antiseptic purposes as it will readily dissolve in either water nor alcohol...

So, any suggestions?

 

[Steinar]

Well, antiseptic powder for wound treatment you can get at a pharmacist's/drug store/whatever you call it. But, if you're talking wound treatment, I would guess the two most common cases would be either to need to wash the area (in which case you do need access to water) or the blood takes care of most problems. Personally, I'd stick to alcohol and rotate them as needed. Use them to wipe down your cell phone or some other common bug bomb instead of having to throw them away unused.

Edit: I checked the only kind of wound powder I knew the name of, and it has disappeared from the central catalog of medicinal drugs for Norway, so perhaps using powder for wounds isn't a thing anymore. (The same chemical seems to be still available as a salve.)

[lister]

The best solution for me would be some kind of powder you mix with water to wash out the wound. Preferably some kind that does not require large amounts to do it's job so I could store it in one of those glass vials parfume samples come in... 

[Steinar]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boric_acid perhaps? 

[Smashie]

Potassium Permanganate for me

[Steinar]

Also, I did some quick googling, and you can get wound dressings prepared with iodine. I have never tried anything like that, but it sounds like a possible solution to your problem. E.g. http://www.smith-nephew.com/professional/products/advanced-wound-management/iodosorb--iodoflex/iodoflex-pads/

Disclaimer: I've never used any of that stuff, I have never read up on any of it, I have no connection to the manufacturer, etc, etc. I just started researching a little out of curiosity.

[lister]

Boric acid and potassium permanganate are both nice as they are stable inorganic chemicals. So they should have a long shelf pocket life. 

The only downside is that neither looks to be as potent a antiseptic as iodine chemicals. But as far as I can tell, those really don't like either heat nor light. So they probably wont't be the best EDC option. 

On a related note: Yesterday I had an idea. What if you include some kind of antihemorrhagic chemical to a small edc first aid kit, to replace band aids for minor cuts and scrapes? Something like:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaolinite

and

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium_sulfate

That might be a god idea, as I find that band aids also tend to loose their adhesive properties if carried around in a wallet. This solution wouldn't protect the wound but you at least wouldn't leave smudges of your blood all over the place. 

[AlephZero]

So I bought alcohol and iodine prep pads and put them in to my wallet. A year later they are dry... 

So is there some kind of a substance that has a long shelf life (wallet life) that is a good antiseptic and can be stored in some convenient way to edc?

I found that potassium permanganate might be useful for this application. But from what I read  it is not the best for use as general antiseptic for external use (even less so if the intended application is internal  ).

There are a lot of products that contain iodine, but from what I've read all of them seem to be susceptible to heat and light, so not the best option for EDC. The only exception is elemental iodine in crystal form, but the thing is almost useless for antiseptic purposes as it will readily dissolve in either water nor alcohol...

So, any suggestions?

 

I bought some alcohol prep pads couple years back, they're still quite nice and fresh... Maybe you just got a bad batch?

Reliance Medical Reliject Prep Pads

 

[Syncop8r]

What about a tube of Savlon?

[ironraven]

Duct tape fits in your wallet.

If hurt, 1. wipe it off. Pants are sufficient. If it keeps bleeding..
2. Lick it. If it keeps bleeding...
3. Rub dirt on it. If it keeps bleeding...
4. Wrap it in duct tape. IF it still keeps bleeding...
5. You carry a lighter. Leave the duct tape on- it burns. You know what to do. If that doesn't do it...
6. You're going to die. Suck it up, walk it off.

As someone who actually does need prep pads, they aren't suitable for wallet carry. The packaging isn't made for that. If you don't use them daily, you'll probably want to find a small, flat, rigid container. Or use an altoids tin for a wallet. My glasses wipes are also alcohal based, and those only go in my pocket for 3 days before they're used, prep pads of any type probably won't be any better.

There really isn't a good option here. Even something like a swab stick, which is sometimes packed a bit harder, won't take much more abuse than the pads. I know iodine used to come individual use ampules, but that was ages ago, the only thing I see packed that way any more are smelling salts or tincture of benzione. and it looks like it might still. Like this.


I don't like the idea of potassium permanganate. Seriously powerful oxidizer, if you're thinking of using it as a wound pack, don't. Just don't. Yes, it is antiseptic in a solution, but it is reacts to so much and so violently, I wouldn't carry it in my pocket. I'm not sure I'd want it in my pack EDC without factory packaging that I'd tested the hell out of (including hitting it with a pellet gun). If you want a flush, just use plain potable water. We should all be carrying some with us. All of that also goes for boric acid. In a solution, both are fine, but as powder applied directly, just... don't, unless you find a preperation made specifically for that. I'd rather go with fine, white, hardwood ash than either of those.

If you want a wound pack, ground pepper. It absorbs moisture, is anti bacterial, and it's cheap. A couple of packets in your wallet or a tiny vial of it, no one will say a thing. Ditto cayenne pepper, but you will feel a slight sting. Salt and sugar both work well well just not as well, their mechanism of action is only do their ability to suck the water out of cells and play with PH, but they don't hurt as much. A small vial, say a 1/2 dram, of a fine, crystalline white powder might be... complicated if going through a security check point. You can use honey- all of the above, plus it has ammonia due to trace amounts of bee pee. Then a clean covering.

If you're thinking of this as before closing a wound, one possible idea is a small thing of (medical grade) superglue. Normal superglue stings, and it is antiseptic, I've used it several times in the past year alone for thin cuts over joints or cracks on my feet. The problem is you MUST have a clean cut and area around it must be clean- no foreign material or you will be sealing it into the wound. But that takes more flushing than you could get out of a prep pad or swab. You could put a .1g mini tube in a largish capsule fob or a pill vial for protection. Or be really brave and risk glueing your wallet and it's contents together...

Chemence Medical has something they call LiquidSkin that comes in a two pack of 1g vials, which are each about 3/8x2.75" (call it 9x70mm) tubes. I've tried it, it's kind of a meh seal compared to regular superglue or Nuskin, but it does burn a little so I assume it will be antiseptic. I may have needed to use more of it. You use it once, then it closes up, but it looks like you can reopen with a pin- I am evaluating some now, actually, for my EDC. https://www.amazon.com/Chemence-694-725-002070-LiquidSkin/dp/B01CGWB10C?th=1

I also found something called Medique Liquid Bandage. Looks to be the same thing, but in a .5g package. Looks like the same container but with a better applicator tip, but without scale I can't say for sure on the size. I haven't tried it. https://www.amazon.com/Medique-Products-92812-Bandage-10-Pack/dp/B01HC3QMYA

But if all you want it for is as a flush, for a really wacky alternative, water purification tablets. An iodine based tablet would be preferable to a chlorine dioxide one. Put half a dozen into a quantity of potable water (say half cup, about 125ml) in a container, shake for five or six minutes, and it should be strong enough to kill anything. I haven't tried it, I haven't even worked out the concentration so it might need more tablet and it could eat the container, so take this as a wild guess from someone who knows enough to be dangerous. I am neither a lawer nor a pharmacist nor a physician. My BS isn't even in chemistry.

Upshot is, if you want to go crazy, you can. There are ways to do this. I don't like any of them for wallet carry. Wallets are bad for prep pads and condoms both. Neither belongs in your wallet becuase the packages while flexible don't like to bend and will get pin holes. Neither should be on your person as the heat speeds the brakedown of the packaging. Carry prep pads for a day or two, get a hard container, carry them off body, or get ready to try nutty solutions.

[Steinar]

That sounds like an utterly sensible comment from ironraven. 

[ThePeacent]

Duct tape fits in your wallet.


If you want a wound pack, ground pepper. It absorbs moisture, is anti bacterial, and it's cheap. A couple of packets in your wallet or a tiny vial of it, no one will say a thing. Ditto cayenne pepper, but you will feel a slight sting. Salt and sugar both work well well just not as well, their mechanism of action is only do their ability to suck the water out of cells and play with PH, but they don't hurt as much. A small vial, say a 1/2 dram, of a fine, crystalline white powder might be... complicated if going through a security check point. You can use honey- all of the above, plus it has ammonia due to trace amounts of bee pee. Then a clean covering.

for years I've used honey and sugar for cuts, gashes and wounds. The Egyptian medics used them to heal combat and war wounds and sword cuts or arrow holes.

My procedure is always the same.
1- clean and flush with water and/or iodine/alcohol
2- pour sugar or honey into wound (ala quick clot for heavy bleeding)
3- cover with gauze or other soft material, apply pressure
4- when bleeding is controlled, approach te wound borders and use superglue or steri-strips (or even tape) to close and seal

[lister]

None of these solutions are meant to be used in any other form than a solution ( ). But if you have access to some water, both boric acid and kmno4 can be used as an antiseptic. I was not suggesting some pours kmno4 in to a wound directly. Also, it would be nice to find some stable chemical that can be used as an antiseptic directly in a powder form, but alas I have been unable to find one. 

When I was talking about pouring powder directly in to a wound I was talking about kaolin, which is the stuff used in QuickClot product. Maybe with addition of some alum, the stuff they used to stop razor nicks bleeding way back when they still used real blades to do the job. The only problem with this method is indeed the fact that you walk around with a vial of white powder. Though if someone was to snort it would result in nothing more than some clay sediments forming in side the respiratory tract as the kaolin is just that. 

[Steinar]

Isn't kaolin as a clotting agent highly exothermic?

[lister]

Isn't kaolin as a clotting agent highly exothermic?

No, that was zeolite used in the old style QuickClot. The newer uses kaolin an one of main advantages is that is not exothermic. They couldn't sell it to general public before.

[Steinar]

Ah, thanks!